Baked Ziti — the Real Deal

The other day my coworker Michael asked me how I made baked ziti. You see, he'd heard that there is a recipe out there (not on the Internet — he checked) for baked ziti where you mix the hard, uncooked noodles with sauce and cheese, then bake it into perfectly-cooked gooey goodness.

Now, I'd never heard of such a technique. But he did catch me on a good day, because I have strong opinions about baked ziti and at that very moment I had all the fixin's for a big tray of the stuff sitting at home in my refrigerator. So I told him: "Now some people will try to pull the wool over your eyes and mix ziti noodles with marinara sauce, top it with mozzarella, stick it under the broiler and call it baked ziti, but to them I say, 'Peh!'" Fool me once, I explained, mentioning the Italian takeout place up the block from our office that served such a sub-par noodle casserole to me that I've never forgotten it. Then I told Michael the way I make baked ziti.

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Ricotta is essential. It cannot be omitted. That is my rule. Another rule is: don't mix the (cooked, if you please!) ziti with the ricotta and the sauce all at once, or you end up with lumpy pink ziti. Not so good. No, you want a loosely layered effect so that you can appreciate the cheese and pasta and sauce in one mouthful, but not in one blended mess.

Here is my recipe. Proportions are hazy, as this is a home recipe, but I've done my best to approximate.

Melanie's Baked Ziti

1 lb ziti (or penne, or rigatoni — the choice is yours)

1 small container ricotta (I use part-skim, because my family has a history of heart disease)

1 egg

1/2 large block of mozzarella, in 1/2-inch cubes (this is really essential to the texture of the final dish — you want pockets of gooey cheese, which the cubes provide but shredded cheese does not)

1/4 cup grated romano cheese (or parmesan; I happen to prefer romano)

1 quart homemade marinara sauce (or one jar, I'd guess)

1 handful shredded mozzarella

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and grease a medium-sized casserole dish. Boil pasta according to package directions (err on the side of undercooked, as it will continue to cook in the oven), drain, rinse with a bit of cold water to prevent sticking, and set aside. Meanwhile, empty ricotta into large mixing bowl, then add egg and stir until mixture is loose. Add cubed mozzarella and grated romano, mixing completely. Dump in drained pasta and stir to combine. Next, ladle some marinara sauce in bottom of casserole dish to cover completely. Spoon hearty portions of pasta-cheese mixture on top, then add more marinara, then more pasta, repeating layering process until you're out of pasta. You want to end with a thin layer of marinara on top (you may not use all the sauce — that's up to you and how saucy you like your ziti); smooth the surface so it is more or less level, then add shredded mozzarella to lightly cover. Spray one side of aluminum foil with cooking spray, then cover casserole dish with foil. Bake for 30 minutes, checking periodically. The baked ziti should be bubbling by the time you remove the foil and cook to brown the top, 10 minutes or so more.

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